Stocktrek Images/Thinkstock(ISLAMABAD) -- Four alleged militants were killed in a U.S. drone strike in northern Pakistan on Thursday.

The attack involved a pair of missiles that were fired at a compound near Miranshah in North Waziristan.

The identities of those killed were not immediately known.

In a statement Thursday, Pakistan strongly condemned the attack, calling drone strikes a violation of the country’s "sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Noting that it has raised its concerns with the U.S. before, Pakistan said: "It has been consistently maintained that drone strikes are counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights and humanitarian implications. Such strikes also set dangerous precedents in the inter-state relations."

The country added that the strikes "have a negative impact on the Government’s efforts to bring peace and stability in Pakistan and the region."